Childhood adversity, early-onset depressive/anxiety disorders, and adult-onset asthma.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate a) whether childhood adversity predicts adult-onset asthma; b) whether early-onset depressive/anxiety disorders predict adult-onset asthma; and c) whether childhood adversity and early-onset depressive/anxiety disorders predict adult-onset asthma independently of each other. Previous research has suggested, but not established, that childhood adversity may predict adult-onset asthma and, moreover, that the association between mental disorders and asthma may be a function of shared risk factors, such as childhood adversity.


METHODS
Ten cross-sectional population surveys of household-residing adults (>18 years, n = 18,303) assessed mental disorders with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 3.0) as part of the World Mental Health surveys. Assessment of a range of childhood family adversities was included. Asthma was ascertained by self-report of lifetime diagnosis and age of diagnosis. Survival analyses calculated hazard ratios (HRs) for risk of adult-onset (>age 20 years) asthma as a function of number and type of childhood adversities and early-onset (<age 21 years) depressive and anxiety disorders, adjusting for current age, sex, country, education, and current smoking.


RESULTS
Childhood adversities predicted adult-onset asthma with risk increasing with the number of adversities experienced (HRs = 1.49-1.71). Early-onset depressive and anxiety disorders also predicted adult-onset asthma (HRs = 1.67-2.11). Childhood adversities and early-onset depressive and anxiety disorders both predicted adult-onset asthma after mutual adjustment (HRs = 1.43-1.91).


CONCLUSIONS
Childhood adversities and early-onset depressive/anxiety disorders independently predict adult-onset asthma, suggesting that the mental disorder-asthma relationship is not a function of a shared background of childhood adversity.
Scott
Kate M
KM
Department of Psychological Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Otago University, Wellington, Wellington South, New Zealand. kate.scott@otago.ac.nz
Von Korff
Michael
M
Alonso
Jordi
J
Angermeyer
Matthias C
MC
Benjet
Corina
C
Bruffaerts
Ronny
R
de Girolamo
Giovanni
G
Haro
Josep Maria
JM
Kessler
Ronald C
RC
Kovess
Viviane
V
Ono
Yutaka
Y
Ormel
Johan
J
Posada-Villa
José
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017668:Age of Onset; D000569:Americas / Q000453:epidemiology; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D001208:Asia / Q000453:epidemiology; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D015984:Causality; D002648:Child; D054540:Child, Orphaned / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D004243:Divorce; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000523:psychology; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011203:Poverty; D012307:Risk Factors; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*